All articles tagged with #rock art
A 5,000-year-old rock panel in the Sinai Desert shows early Egypt projecting power beyond the Nile through violence, royal symbolism, and control of copper and turquoise resources, signaling an early form of imperial messaging carved into the landscape; an erased ruler’s name hints at political change as Egypt centralized resources and authority.
This week’s science roundup spans the world’s oldest known rock art—a 70,000-year-old Sulawesi hand stencil and a 2.6-million-year-old Paranthropus jaw—alongside the discovery of a massive sub-seafloor freshwater reservoir off the U.S. East Coast that could theoretically supply New York City for centuries, plus Earth being hit by one of the largest solar radiation storms in decades, with JWST findings continuing to upend ideas about early black holes.
ScienceAlert’s weekly roundup covers UK scientists proposing a standard THC unit for cannabis dosing; an 8-meter-tall fossil Prototaxites that stubbornly resists classification; the discovery of the world’s oldest rock art in Sulawesi dating to at least 67,800 years ago; the identification of tagatose, a natural low-calorie sugar that does not spike insulin; a gut-bacteria-driven syndrome where ethanol can form in the gut after meals; and new evidence linking the shingles vaccine with slower biological aging and reduced inflammation in older adults.
Dating of 11 Sulawesi-area cave paintings places a hand stencil in Metanduno Cave on Muna Island at about 67,800 years old—the oldest known rock art. The stencil was made by pressing a hand to the wall and spraying pigment around it, suggesting modern humans traveling by dugout canoes who helped populate Sahul (New Guinea and Australia) around 65,000 years ago, with later charcoal and ocher drawings surrounding the stencil.
Archaeologists report what may be the oldest surviving artwork, a hand stencil on a Sulawesi cave wall dating to about 67,800 years ago (calcite overgrowth suggests the imprint is older). Found among 44 surveyed sites in Maros-Pangkep, Liang Metanduno’s stencil marks the earliest known modern-human presence in Wallacea and implies long-distance seafaring that could have reached Australia earlier than some estimates, highlighting a region with a deep, ongoing artistic tradition.
A faded hand outline in Liang Metanduno cave on Sulawesi is dated to at least 67,800 years ago via calcite overgrowth, potentially the oldest known rock art, created by spraying ochre over a hand; the find, along with other Sulawesi paintings dating to 51,200 years, supports early northern dispersal toward Sahul and suggests complex symbolic behavior by Homo sapiens, though attribution to specific hominin groups remains debated.
Ancient rock engravings in northern Arabia, dating back around 12,000 years, served as maps and markers for water sources and travel routes during a period of climate transition, highlighting early human adaptation and cultural identity in a challenging environment.
A study by Dr. Esther Jacobson-Tepfer reveals that ancient elk rock art in the Mongolian Altai evolved from realistic depictions to highly stylized, wolf-like images, influenced by environmental changes and shifting socio-political structures over time.
Researchers in Brazil discovered 9,000-year-old petroglyphs near Cretaceous dinosaur footprints, suggesting ancient humans deliberately interacted with or revered these fossils, highlighting a deep cultural connection to prehistoric life.
Volunteers in Kazakhstan discovered around 100 ancient petroglyphs depicting animals like wild sheep and double-humped camels, dating back approximately 3,500 years. Although the site was previously known to specialists, it was kept secret to protect it until further examination. The petroglyphs, found in the Zhambyl region, have not yet been detailed in peer-reviewed journals, and more funding is needed for proper documentation and analysis.
Petroglyphs found near dinosaur footprints in Brazil suggest that prehistoric indigenous people may have been aware of and interested in the footprints, although it's unclear if they knew about dinosaurs. The carvings, dating back between 9,400 and 2,620 years, display geometric shapes and may have been created during communal gatherings, possibly with the use of psychotropic plants. The unprecedented clarity of the association between the petroglyphs and dinosaur prints at this site could have significant implications across paleontology, archaeology, and cultural heritage studies.
Hunter-gatherers in Brazil created rock art next to fossilized dinosaur footprints dating back 9,400 years, as described in a study published in Scientific Reports. The petroglyphs, found at the Serrote do Letreiro site, were purposefully placed near the dinosaur tracks, with some appearing to illustrate the prints. The site, located near the Valley of the Dinosaurs, contains footprints from various dinosaur types, and the rock art is attributed to small seminomadic groups of hunter-gatherers who lived in the region between 9,400 and 2,620 years ago.
In Brazil, researchers have discovered 9,000-year-old rock art created by hunter-gatherers near fossilized dinosaur footprints dating back to the Cretaceous period. The petroglyphs, found at the Serrote do Letreiro site, are believed to have been intentionally placed next to the dinosaur tracks, with some appearing to illustrate the prints. The art, attributed to small seminomadic groups of hunter-gatherers, consists of geometric carvings made using perforation and scraping techniques. This discovery sheds light on the ancient humans' awareness of and interaction with the dinosaur footprints in the region.
In northeast Brazil, a site called Serrote do Letreiro has revealed a rare combination of dinosaur footprints and ancient rock carvings, or petroglyphs, from the Early Cretaceous period. This unique discovery represents the first instance of such close proximity between petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks. The petroglyphs, created by pre-colonial humans, display a symbolic connection with the fossil record, suggesting an intentional incorporation of the dinosaur footprints into their cultural expression. The site's remarkable juxtaposition of paleontology and archaeology highlights the active engagement of pre-colonial Brazilians with the fossil record, emphasizing the need for conservation measures to protect this invaluable cultural heritage.
Researchers have discovered a unique site in northeastern Brazil, the Serrote do Letreiro Site, featuring prehistoric rock art and dinosaur footprints dating back about 140 million years. The site, characterized by an "outstanding juxtaposition" of paleontological and archaeological elements, includes footprints of various dinosaurs and petroglyphs. The study reveals a close relationship between the two, suggesting a link between the footprints and petroglyphs, possibly embedded in a ritualistic context. The findings challenge traditional views and demonstrate the cultural relevance of fossils, indicating that these fossils can now be recognized as Brazilian cultural heritage.